Chapter 42

Chapter 42

Rong Yuan was in a funk all day at the company. Hearing that Gu Anran was there for the last day and would return to the UK tomorrow made him even more bummed.

He had been coming to the company every day to study and had grown close to Gu Anran. Once she left, he'd be studying on his own.

"I'll graduate in another six months, Second Sister-in-Law, and then I'll come back."

"Yeah, that's true. But I promised to embroider you a little something, and I haven't finished it yet," Rong Yuan said. "I've been working on it though. Anran, do you want to send me an address? I can mail it to you later."

"Sure, thank you, Second Sister-in-Law," Gu Anran said. "When I get there, I'll send you some cool stuff too. You and Second Brother should get along well."

"Can't get along with him at all." Rong Yuan thought about what happened at night and that morning, still feeling frustrated. "He's always annoying me, and he doesn't trust me."

"Then go to Grandma and tell on him. Second Brother sometimes speaks harshly, but I think his heart is in the right place. It's just that when we were kids, Big Brother and Third Brother were always at odds with him. He had to be tough to stand his ground, and over time, he became overly defensive. You get what I'm saying, right, Second Sister-in-Law?"

Rong Yuan did understand. Hearing this, he started to feel kind of bad. He'd been thinking he'd treat Gu Shenhan better than anyone else, but at the time, he was too angry to think that far.

Forget it, he decided not to stay at Bishuiwan tonight.

During the lunch break, Rong Yuan took Gu Anran out for a meal as a farewell lunch.

After work, he headed straight to Cuixi Garden. It turned out, when he asked Lu Yi, Gu Shenhan hadn't returned yet.

They usually got home around the same time, with Gu Shenhan often arriving a bit earlier.

Without a second thought, Rong Yuan called Gu Shenhan: "Honey, are you working overtime today?"

Gu Shenhan was still thinking about how to cheer him up. Caught off guard by the call, he secretly breathed a sigh of relief and said, "No, what's up?"

"Then why aren't you home yet?"

"I've been waiting for you at Bishuiwan. Didn't you say you were coming here after work?"

"I went home. Did you see Xiao Yu and the others? How are they?"

"Pretty good. Xiao Yu asked me not to keep such a tight watch on you, but I refused." Gu Shenhan was already in the car, driving out of Bishuiwan. "Wait for me, I'm on my way back."

He had spent whatever free time he had during the day thinking about how to cheer him up, even considering taking Rong Yuan to a lantern festival that night. But here the guy was, willingly going home. Where else could you find such an adorable little husband?

Gu Shenhan patted the steering wheel, feeling he had worried for nothing. Even if Rong Yuan kept talking about having a child, he would just coax him more. After all, it wasn't going to happen anyway, so why get all worked up?

Over this time, Rong Yuan had always been sensible and never said things he shouldn't. So there was really no need for him to make such a big deal about it.

With that, Gu Shenhan changed his mind and called back: "An An, what do you want to eat? I didn't have dinner prepared at home. I'll buy it and bring it back, or I can pick you up and we'll eat out?"

Rong Yuan had just learned from the butler that no dinner was prepared. He was debating whether to have them cook something up or eat out, so he said, "Honey, I want cherry jam cake, a beef burger, and french fries. I also want blueberry pie and pizza."

A whole bunch of junk food, but since he was in the wrong, Gu Shenhan went to buy them without a word.

He could get all of them at the same mall, except for the pizza. The pizza place was in the same building but had an external entrance. He ordered two pizzas, then went to buy the other items. By the time he came back, the pizzas were almost done.

The clerk handed over the packaged items, but Gu Shenhan forgot to take them.

"Sir?"

"Huh? Oh, sorry." Gu Shenhan handed over the receipt, took the bag, and left. After a moment's hesitation, he crossed the street.

There was a pharmacy on the other side. The pharmacy had a promotion that day, with colorful banners advertising buy-three-get-one-free on blood pressure meds, a twenty-yuan discount on health products for purchases over one hundred yuan, and 20% off any three condoms.

It was too eye-catching to ignore. Under those bright banners, he also saw posters advertising birth control pills and pregnancy tests.

Gu Shenhan walked in without a second thought: "Do you have pregnancy tests? Give me five."

It wasn't rush hour at the pharmacy, so the staff came right over to help, suggesting that six would be a better deal since three were 20% off, but if he bought five, the other two wouldn't qualify for the discount. Gu Shenhan bought six. On the way back, he wondered if this would even work for Rong Yuan.

No kidding.

He didn't know what result a man would get from using a pregnancy test.

While waiting at a red light, Gu Shenhan looked it up. The result showed: In a nutshell, if a man uses a pregnancy test, one line means nothing, but two lines require immediate medical attention, as it's commonly associated with testicular cancer—a warning sign of serious disease!

Gu Shenhan: "..."

He was dead sure his hubby didn't have that kind of serious illness.

Rong Yuan waited at home, thinking they needed to have a serious talk about this. Gu Shenhan's persistent disbelief might be because Rong Yuan only insisted he could have a child without giving more details. The world Gu Shenhan believed in and the world Rong Yuan knew were simply not the same.

He should tell Gu Shenhan stories from his own world; maybe then he would understand.

Rong Yuan made up his mind and also thought about what the ge'er in his world were like—any interesting customs or anecdotes.

Not long after, Gu Shenhan returned carrying several bags. He took all the food to the small dining room on the third floor.

Rong Yuan was embroidering in the embroidery room, too absorbed to hear anything, until Gu Shenhan pushed open the door. He looked at Gu Shenhan's face, then at his empty hands, holding a needle, thread, and a small embroidery hoop.

"The food is in the dining room. Want to come out and eat while it's hot?" Gu Shenhan said. "Or it'll get cold."

"Then promise you won't say anything I don't want to hear, or I won't eat."

"Fine, fine, you're the little boss. Whatever you say." Gu Shenhan gave up, holding the door open for Rong Yuan. "I feel like I didn't even do anything wrong, so why can't I stand seeing you unhappy?"

"You did do wrong! You hurt my feelings. I need to stay happy now, or else the baby will be born without a smile—that wouldn't be good."

"I—"

"Honey, you'd better think before you speak. If you make me angry again, I'll really go live at Bishuiwan. For a long time. Xiao Yu and the others are more than happy to have me."

"How about we do a test tomorrow?"

"Another test? What test?" Rong Yuan had always disliked this.

"A test to see if you're pregnant. I bought something called a 'pregnancy test.' If you're pregnant, it will show it, and it's super easy."

"How does it work?"

Gu Shenhan said he'd look at the instructions. He had never known about this thing, nor had he ever seen anyone use it. After reading for a while, he found that morning urine was the most accurate. But since he bought so many, they didn't need to wait. He told Rong Yuan to take the test after eating, just by peeing on it.

Rong Yuan thought it wasn't difficult and quickly agreed, couldn't wait.

The couple ate until the dining room reeked of pizza. Afterward, they called Lu Yi to clean up and returned to the bedroom.

In the master bathroom, the two of them stood like they were up to something, each holding a test.

"What's wrong?" Gu Shenhan asked.

Rong Yuan laughed helplessly. "I can't pee with you staring at me."

Gu Shenhan dawdled. "So dramatic. I've seen every inch of you." Rong Yuan pushed him away.

Gu Shenhan had to turn around: "Is this okay now?"

Rong Yuan was still a bit awkward, but it was acceptable after all. Following Gu Shenhan's instructions, he dripped two drops into the test slot, and then it was time to wait.

To be safe, Gu Shenhan even had him use two at once.

Rong Yuan asked, "Honey, do two red lines mean I'm having a baby?"

Gu Shenhan said, "Yes."

There was no way there would be two lines; he was just thinking about whether he could get Rong Yuan to accept the fact that men cannot get pregnant.

Rong Yuan was getting antsy waiting: "Husband, you didn't bring ones that can't even show two lines to trick me, did you?"

"Babe, do you not trust me at all?"

"Alright." Rong Yuan looked at his phone; it had been a minute.

"This thing has a high accuracy. If it says you're not pregnant, then you're not. Don't talk about being pregnant anymore, and don't force yourself to eat things you don't like."

"How long do we wait for the result?"

"If you really were pregnant, it should show up quickly. Look, it's been almost three minutes and nothing's showing, so you're probably not. But don't be disappointed, okay? We can always try again later. We're still young..."

"No no no! Husband, look quickly!" Before Gu Shenhan finished speaking, Rong Yuan hurriedly poked him. "Husband, look, look! Both are showing two lines, right? Both have two lines!"

Gu Shenhan: "…………" I knew it—never buy stuff on sale!

This is impossible!

Gu Shenhan suddenly sat up from the edge of the bathtub: "Is it expired?"

Rong Yuan said, "No, the expiration dates are still far off. I told you I wasn't lying, but you still didn't believe me."

Gu Shenhan: "..."

"What's wrong, husband? Do you still not believe? Or... do you just not want him?" The thought of this possibility stung Rong Yuan's heart like a needle. "You've always refused to believe I can have a baby—is it because you simply don't want one?"

"No, don't overthink." Gu Shenhan instinctively pulled him close, staring at the two lines that were getting clearer. "It's not that I don't want it. If it's really you who gave birth to him for me, then of course I can't wait for him to come to us soon. But how can we keep you safe? An An, this is no small matter. No one here has any experience with this. I don't even know how to help."

"But he's already here, we can't give him up."

"We can't give him up." Now he was afraid to keep it but also afraid not to.

"Several of my cousins have given birth, and they're all fine. Besides, I'm in good health, so don't worry."

How could he not worry!

Gu Shenhan felt like he was on a roller coaster, his mood rising and falling.

He had been refusing to accept this because deep down he thought men just couldn't get pregnant. Rong Yuan's insistence must be due to a cognitive error or his brain not being fully healed—after all, he had been rescued after drowning in the sea for a long time, regardless of where he came from.

He didn't want Rong Yuan to have any hidden health issues; it wasn't that he couldn't accept a baby.

He really didn't like kids, but if it were his and Rong Yuan's, that would be a different story.

After thinking it over, Gu Shenhan said, "Starting tomorrow, don't go to the office. It's getting colder anyway, so rest well at home. As for the baby, if you want it, then I'll figure out how to make sure the baby comes safely."

Rong Yuan exclaimed: "Honey, you finally believe me?"

Gu Shenhan hugged him tighter: "Mm."

Whether it existed or not, he had to act like it did, otherwise it wouldn't be easy to keep it a secret from the outside world.

He didn't want his wife and child to be bothered unnecessarily.

And the safety of childbirth—he absolutely couldn't let Rong Yuan give birth alone.

Rong Yuan gradually realized Gu Shenhan did want the child but had concerns. So he whispered, "Honey, it's really okay. Let me tell you about the special aspects of my world, and you'll understand. When I said I could give birth alone, I wasn't being petulant—I've seen it happen with my own eyes."

Gu Shenhan: "?"

Rong Yuan ran the hot water, talking as he unbuttoned Gu Shenhan's clothes. Gu Shenhan didn't understand what he was doing, but listened to him talk about his relatives. When the water was ready, Rong Yuan led him into the bathtub.

The bathtub was spacious enough, not crowded, so Gu Shenhan just treated it like a normal bath. But just as he was thinking about restraining his desires to not harm the little one, Rong Yuan slowly lowered himself onto him, holding on.